Pakistani pilgrims desiring to attend Khawaja Moinuddin Chishti’s Urs at Dargah Ajmer Sharif in Rajasthan have been denied visas by New Delhi.
According to reports in the local media, almost 500 Pakistanis were scheduled to travel to India to attend the religious event, and nearly half of the religious tourists did not miss their visa appointments.
The Modi-led administration had placed restrictions on more than 239 Pakistani pilgrims who wanted to visit the Sufi saint, according to a spokesperson for the Ministry of Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony.
Five officials who were tasked with looking after the pilgrims had their visa requests turned down as well.
The last-moment refusal for issuance of visas has affected the emotional sentiments of pilgrims leaving them in stress, while Pakistani officials expressed dismay.
New Delhi has violated long-standing protocol on visits to religious shrines by refusing visas while Pakistan has always facilitated Indian pilgrims to visit their sacred sites to promote interfaith harmony.
